Loving Myself?

photo by Tanim

When I read a post by Joye at The Joyeful Journey, I knew that I had to share it here. I think she was writing about me. Seriously, though it was just what I needed to hear. It’s so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and caring for our families, but how can we truly care for them if we don’t have love for God and love for ourselves in the right perspective?

Here’s a little tidbit from Joye’s post:

“Maybe it’s because I’m a first-born, or maybe it’s because I’m a (teensy) bit of a perfectionist, but I have always been very hard on myself. I get so impatient with my constant shortcomings, my glaring flaws, my failures and my guffaws. The hardest verse in the Bible for me to apply to my life (and it happens to be a commandment) has been “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22: 39). Loving others the way God wants me to requires me to love myself the way he wants me to. I can’t give grace and mercy to others if I can’t give it to myself.

God began showing me this several years ago when My Honey and I first got married. It was difficult for me to receive his love because I was so critical of myself and couldn’t understand how anyone could look beyond my faults and love me. At the same time, while I thought I was loving him, I was being critical and judgmental of him as well. I was holding him to the same impossibly high standards that I have always held myself to. Of course, nothing is wrong with having high standards, but high standards without grace becomes burdensome. “

Click here to read how God led Joye to love herself Biblically. This has been such a blessing to my heart!